Repeated Mistakes
by TenshiNoAkuma
Summary: DQ8. How many times would you be willing to fail to make things right? When things go wrong in Trodain during Eight and Medea's second wedding anniversary, it falls on Jessica to stop it from happening again.


"Medea!"

Jessica rounds the corner, and gasps at the sight of Medea collapsed against the wall outside her room, Eight cradling her in his arms, Trode crouched beside him. "What happened?"

Trode just shakes his head, holding Medea's limp hand, tears welling in his eyes. "Oh... my precious, precious Medea. Who could have done such a thing to you?"

It's obviously useless to try and talk to Trode, as distressed as he is. Jessica examines Medea as best she can while Trode and Eight are hovering over her, mostly shielding Medea from sight. However, Jessica spots blood running from Medea's forehead, the bright red - fresh blood - in stark contrast to her pale skin and dark hair. Had someone hit her? Jessica can't tell if Medea had struggled; unfortunately, Eight had already been holding her when Jessica had turned the corner. A quick glance in their immediate surroundings unearths a distinct lack of knocked over things.

Her attention snaps back to Eight. "Eight, can't you do something?" Her words come out sharper than she intends them to.

He just turns his head, a hollow look in his eyes when he shakes his head. He opens his mouth, as if to speak, but he just shakes his head again before holding her body close to his, face buried in the crook of her neck. His words come out muffled. "I can't heal her, Jessica. She's not breathing. Her heart's not beating. She's..." _Dead_, her mind supplies for him, when Eight's words break off into a broken sob before he continues. "I think someone..."

Killed Medea.

It's another person murdered.

It's another Alistair.

At those words, Trode breaks out in a wail, a dirge that takes all of Jessica's mental energy to block out; she can't be angry at him when he has every reason to be upset. But it's no use watching Eight and Trode weep over Medea's body, so she casts her gaze to the surroundings, hoping she'll spot something, some other clue that will point her in the direction of Medea's killer. But she sees nothing, just rows and rows of distressed guards and courtesans who have gathered, stunned into inaction by what they've seen.

Jessica frowns and raises her voice, pointing at one of the servants. "You there, summon the royal physician!" Pointing at a different servant, she barks out, "You! Find the local priest and bring them here." Pointing at a third, she adds, almost as an afterthought, "And you! Find Yangus, will you?" She assumes that's all she needs to tell them about Yangus; the castle staff should be familiar with their prince's closest friends.

All three hurriedly bow before quickly fleeing, as if wolves were snapping at their heels.

"Guards!" Levelling a glare at the guards, who immediately straighten at the show of authority, Jessica speaks in as even a voice as she can manage. "Please escort the guests to the safety of their homes. It's been a long night, and I'm sure they are tired."

At the show of leadership from one of the four who'd slain Rhapthorne, the castle staff comply, ushering the crowd out. Crossing her arms, Jessica looks one last time at Medea before striding into Medea's room to investigate. She has no idea why anyone would want someone as sweet and kind as Medea dead, but she knows one thing.

She'll make whoever is behind this _pay_.

* * *

Jessica stops by the grand fountain stationed in the center of Castle Trodain's courtyard, sitting on the fountain's edge to rest her feet after her travels, listening to the soothing sound of running water. The flock of people, here to celebrate the second anniversary of Eight and Medea's royal wedding, crowd the courtyard, either eagerly gathering around the temporary stalls set up for the occasion for a once in a year deal, or relaxing on the benches and enjoying yet another beautiful, peaceful day. The whole affair reminds her of Argonia's annual bazaar - likely the origin of the idea - though fortunately there's a distinct lack of certain charmless royals. She _almost_ begins to wonder what Prince Charmles has been doing, but she finds she can't bring herself to care about that spoiled brat.

"Oi, Jessica!"

Now _there's_ a voice she can't mistake.

Jessica stands and turns, a smile on her face when her gaze settles on that familiar mug approaching. "Yangus!" Her smile freezes a little when she spots the taller woman next to him, but she keeps her voice and expression polite. "And Red!" She puts a hand on her hip, relaxed. "Did you two just arrive?"

Yangus bobs his head in a short nod while Red gives Jessica a curt nod in greeting. "Sure did! Figured we'd do some business while we were here."

Jessica arches an eyebrow. "Aren't you a bit late? Most of the shops have already set up." And have probably been doing business for hours already.

Shrugging, Yangus says, unbothered, "Had a nasty run in with a sea dragon on the way. You know how it is. We ain't exactly sellin' much after that."

Jessica winces in sympathy. "Well, I'm glad you two are alright." She gives the pair a relieved smile. Though they'd long outmatched sea dragons, the monsters could still do a number on _any_ ship, magical or not.

However, during Jessica and Yangus' exchange, Red's foot had been tapping impatiently on the ground, her gaze sweeping over the various stalls set out in the courtyard. Suddenly, she declares, "I'll let you and your friend have your little chat. _I_ have a killin' to make." She takes her leave and gives them a lazy wave without even looking back. "I'll see you later, alright, Yangus?"

Jessica watches Red sashay on out for a brief moment while Yangus waves Red off with huge sweeps of his arm. Red has the same old swagger to her walk that she had when they encountered her in that pirate's cove, that swagger that rubs Jessica the wrong way, but turns Yangus into a slack-jawed statue. Jessica doesn't terribly mind Red's presence when she's not competing with them for treasure, or blackmailing them... but only in small doses. Once Red disappears into the crowd, Jessica turns her attention to Yangus.

"All we need is Angelo, and our merry little band will be back together."

Yangus idly picks his nose as he speaks. "Dunno if he'll be comin'." Examining whatever it is he managed to excavate from his nostril - Jessica doesn't look too closely - he flicks it to the side. "Ran into him in Baccarat on the way here. I said, "'ey, Angelo, you should come with me an' Red to Trodain. Free ride an' everythin'!" but he kept sayin' he was too busy fer a swim across the pond, as it were."

Jessica can't help but snort. "Him, busy?" Even the fact Angelo is apparently in Baccarat is news to her. Though maybe she shouldn't be so surprised; the casino town had seemed to suit him just fine when they had been there. "Now that Rhapthorne is gone, he's probably gone back to chasing skirts and starting bar fights."

That's how they met him in Simpleton, after all. Cheating at a game of poker, escaping the ruckus _he_ caused, and then flirting with her afterwards, he hadn't exactly left the best of first impressions on her.

"'ey, no need to be so hard on him. You know he ain't that bad of a bloke."

Jessica sighs and folds her arms. "I suppose you're right." He _did_ stay with them, long after he'd avenged the death of Abbot Francisco, the only reason he had claimed to have joined them in the first place.

Jessica turns her gaze upwards to briefly admire the clear blue sky. It had once been dark, poisoned by Rhapthorne's presence, but it had been all four of them that had gotten rid of him. She hadn't exactly been looking forward to their eventual parting of ways, but she'd thought that all four of them would still keep in touch. But after Eight and Medea's wedding two years ago, Angelo had practically vanished without even a parting word. No one had been able to get in contact with him, except Yangus recently, apparently. It was all a little... disappointing.

Pulling her gaze away from the sky, Jessica looks back down at Yangus. "It's just been so long since I've heard anything from him, you know? And he didn't turn up last year either. You'd think he's avoiding us!"

Yangus shrugs, though the action looks more like a rolling of the shoulders. "Well, he got his freedom he was always goin' on about, didn' he? I s'pose he's enjoyin' it while he can." There's a gleam in Yangus' eye when he adds, "Jus' like you, am I right?"

"Speak for yourself!" Jessica scoffed, unfolding her arms. "I'm sure you've been having fun travelling the world with Red while I've been stuck in Alexandria."

Despite her words, there's no bitterness in her voice. It hadn't exactly been what she'd _wanted_ to do, but the maids had told her in private that her mother's health wasn't as good at it used to be. Jessica had found she couldn't leave for extended periods of time with a clear conscience, so she had to satisfy herself with training monsters found near Alexandria. Morrie's "Monstrous Pit" had left quite the impression on her after the team Eight had gathered with their help defeated Morrie's. Now that she could actually stay in the same room as her mother without things turning into a shouting match, staying at home was no longer the chore it used to be; the bitterness Jessica had once felt towards her mother had slowly faded over the course of her journey with Eight, Yangus and Angelo. Well, that, and the fact her mother had stopped trying to find suitors for her had helped, too. Settling down and living comfortably in Alexandria hadn't been an onerous task by any means.

Yangus only responds with a hearty guffaw.

Before Jessica can say another word, the ostentatious blast of trumpets from the castle's balcony silences the crowd, marking the beginning of the day's auspicious ceremony. A herald, dressed in reds and golds, shouts from the balcony.

"Make way, make way, for the Royal Procession!"

Royal guards instruct the crowd to stand back onto the grass, so a path is clear for the Royal Procession to walk down the paved path. Jessica, Yangus and the rest of the people gathered obediently move to the designated areas. Luckily, Yangus' bulk and general resistance to pushing and shoving - Yangus is more than capable of shoving back - allows him to easily net a position near the front. Jessica makes sure to stick close to him.

"'ere you go, Jessica." She's pushed forward, Yangus' meaty hand at her back, and before long, finds herself at the very front. It's the very best place for watching her friends walk through the castle grounds. "Got a good view?"

She nods, not appreciative of his rough handling, but grateful for the help. Grinning, she says, "Thanks, Yangus."

The swell of people in the courtyard excitedly chat amongst themselves in anticipation of the appearance of their beloved rulers. Soon, they're rewarded with a second blast of trumpets and the opening of the huge main doors, as King Trode, Prince Eight, and Princess Medea step out onto the balcony amidst deafening cheers from the crowd. As they proceed down the stairs to the courtyard proper, Jessica gets a closer look at their elegant and well tailored clothing. Trode is wearing kingly robes of dark red and dark gold, a fur cape covering his small body and a golden crown fitting his tiny head. Eight and Medea wear matching outfits in the colours of white and red wine, both donning crowns of gold similar to Trode's. Eight's princely robes fit him like a glove while Medea's beautiful gown shimmers in the sunlight. The three wave to the ecstatic crowd as they cheer at the sight of the royal family.

In their travels, it hadn't been difficult to notice how Eight always positioned himself near the once horse princess. After fighting off monster attacks, it hadn't been difficult to notice how Eight always made sure to rest a reassuring hand on her shoulder. And it hadn't been difficult to notice how Medea had always responded by nudging him with her muzzle, and how they always rested near each other when possible. It had been obvious they both care greatly for each other.

It isn't hard to be a little jealous of the two. Even though her mother has stopped trying to find suitors for her, in some ways, Jessica wishes she could have that kind of love in her life. Even Yangus seems to have found love with that incorrigible woman. She can't be too sour about it, though; she's content with her life, and she's sincerely happy for her friends.

So Jessica smiles and claps with the crowd while Yangus whoops and cheers beside her, giving Eight and Medea a small wave when their gazes sweeps the crowd and fall on Yangus and her. The pairs' smiles only grow wider at the sight of two of their friends. Jessica makes a mental note to catch up with the two royals afterwards, when they have some time to themselves to chat with friends, as both Eight and Medea cast their attention to the rest of their loyal subjects.

That's the last time Jessica sees Medea alive.

* * *

**Authors' Notes:**

**Ten:** Hi all! Though the account that's posting this story belongs to me, _Repeated Mistakes_ is a collaborative effort between myself and my lovely partner, Umi. Thank you for reading and I hope you've enjoyed what we've done so far!

**Umi: **Hello everyone! I'm very happy to be working with my beloved Ten on this project! I've always wanted to write a fic based around Dragon Quest 8 and its aftermath, since the thought always crossed my mind. So now here it is and I hope you like it!


End file.
